Then touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. Matthew 9:29
There is an old story about a man who read this verse and took from it that if he had enough faith, God would provide whatever he asked. So he prayed, telling God that he had faith that God would give him a thousand dollars. He even placed a bowl on the table, declaring to his family that he had faith that God would fill the bowl with the money he asked for. Before he went to bed, he prayed again, telling God he had faith that the money would be in the bowl in the morning. At first light, he was up, down the stairs, and into the dining room to check the bowl. Finding it as empty as it was the evening before, he declared, ‘Just as I thought!’ So much for his faith. He was like most of us, we don’t ask God in expectant faith, we tell God our wish list.
The two men to whom Jesus is speaking in today’s text were blind. They had nothing to lose by coming to Jesus. They were encouraged to hear about the dead girl who had been restored to life. Surely a Healer who could raise the dead could give sight to them! Jesus tested them. First, He asked if they really believed that He could heal them. Oh, yes, they did! We’ll see about that. Jesus told them, as he touched their eyes, that what they received would be determined by their faith. They passed the test. Would you? Would I?
Maybe if we had the same urgency as those two blind men, we would find faith a little easier to come by. What do we ask God for? Our unsaved family members? Of course, we pray for them. We hope God will save them. We pray for ourselves, that God will preserve and help us. We hope He will. We pray for many things, hoping that God will respond in direct answer. But before we pray, we should remember Jesus question to the two blind men, whether they believed He could answer their prayers. Maybe some of the prayers God has not yet answered are because we don’t believe He can. We don’t know for sure. But if He could tell those men that they would receive based on their faith, He can tell us the same.
Knowing Who the Lord Jesus is is important. Knowing His ability to answer prayers is critical. Knowing His will to respond to our prayers is essential. According to your faith, may God bless you today. -Jim MacIntosh